Tony Sings the Great Hits of Today

You thought Tony Bennett was cool just because he's got a video on MTV. Here's what Tony was doing back in 1969, when his career wasn't
in such good shape -- covering Beatles tunes and trying his best to appeal to the younger generation.

On "Tony Sings the Great Hits of Today", we find covers of such staples as Something, Little Green Apples and Here, There and Everywhere, along with a knockout reading of Eleanor Rigby that's guaranteed to floor you with disbelief (especially if you listen to it while viewing the hip psychedelic painting of Tony shown here).

It's safe to say that Tony doesn't regard this album as his best work. A 1990 article in The Atlantic titled The Real Stuff quotes him as expressing his disgust with doing "contemporary" tunes, likening it to that of his seamstress mother when she was forced to work on a cheap dress. Fortunately, the Vinyl Museum saved at least one copy from the dustbin.

Really...
says:
His label MADE him do this. He got physically ill before he did ... I think it comes through in the music.
(08-03-2004)

Tom Tuerff
(ttuerff@aol.com)
says:
If you think this is bad -- and it is -- it coulda been worse. He coulda recorded a Frank Zappa song. imagine Tony (or Frank Sinatra) singing "Easy Meat," for example...
(04-20-2004)

Ashley
(Maddkittie05@aol.com)
says:
That was sooooo horrible! People shouldn't be able to do that to such a great song.
(04-04-2004)

joe moroz
(elec50@aol.com)
says:
how can I meet tony bennet? I sing his songs of the 50"s along with frank,dean perry como,mario lanza etc. my voice matches his best songs I want to revive his early tunes and benefit at the same time.
(03-22-2004)

brooke
says:
fuck u u hoe
(03-09-2004)

John
says:
"Eleanor Rigby" is combination of a bad Muslim prayer call and post-modern "atonal" music. plus a narration. What on earth possessed him to record this?
(02-28-2004)

JJRamone
says:
Tony is cool in his own way. But this album really set that fact apart from the truth.
(01-24-2004)

Lisanne
(lisanne001@earthlink.net)
says:
This is sad, really sad. Did Mr. Bennett believe that such an outing would lead to a revitalization of his career, or that younger listeners would perhaps buy this record because they recognized the songs? Indeed, this was quite a pathetic time musically for a nuber of artists, who should have realized their talents lie in doing music that was consistent with whatever style they had developed over time. OTOH, consider how artists like Sinatra were able to take contemporary material and give it a personalized exzpression that was meaningful and truly respected the material. Of course, that is why Sinatra was still relevant in the 70's and 80's. Most surprisingly, even in the nineties his work still had significance.

GT
(glentrezise@comcast.net)
says:
I have an original copy of this album that I inherited from my father who was big Tony Bennet fan. I am not sure this particular record got a lot of play. I played "Something" on whim one day and while it was irritating, I could envision my parents drinking cocktails at a 1969 party with that in the background. However, that rendition of Eleanor Rigby sends the wrong kind of chills down my spine. In my opinion it might be the most horrific piece of "music" I have ever heard, and holds the honor for the most complete bastardization of a popular song.
(08-02-2003)

Don E. Oerlemans
(oerlemansd@aol.com)
says:
TO ANYONE WHO MAY HELP: I am seeking to reach Tony Bennett personally to have him listen to some of my work (songs); as I honestly believe he'd be more than interested in the 300 songs I've written. Sincerely, Don Oerlemans, writer
(06-16-2003)

MoeInMiami
says:
You guys are fulla' crap, some of these songs are sensational, especially Tony's cover of Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour" -IT IS FABULOUS
(03-31-2003)

desmond polk
(ruffin41@37.com)
says:
Tony did not want to do this album at all it was force on him by the powers of columbia records. So let's cut mr. bennett some slack he was in a tough spot.

But Here, There and Everywhere is not that bad i would buy the 45.
(02-25-2003)

jonaco
(jonaco@mindspring.com)
says:
Tony's the greatest living classic pop-and-standards singer, but this...oh, my! "Here, There..." has a likable cheesy-Vegas touch, but where on earth did he get the idea to do "Eleanor Rigby" this way? It sounds like a three-minute "Perry Mason" episode- or did anyone else catch the similarity to that immortal TV theme? Tony probably did and came up with this deadpan police-show shtick. Priceless!
(11-24-2002)

Al Rearick
says:
FWIW, I read somewhere that Bennett repeatedly left the studio to vomit during these sessions. That was how miserable he was during the making of this album. I've always wondered if the execs at Columbia reminded Tony that since he was wrong about "Rags to Riches," he'd probably be wrong again?

He wasn't.

This record is Columbia's fault, not Tony's.
(10-09-2002)

Hiram
(hbotis@hotmail.com)
says:
I never had any desire to purchase or listen to Tony Bennett ever. But hey, the cover of this one is cool, and the 2 songs here are pure late 60s / Vegas. Liberace has a similar photo on the "love Album" - the most un-Liberace you had ever seen.

This is fab and I just checked out Ebay but no one has this on offer. It's now only my next to-have list. We all have to sink a bit lower sometimes...what could we do?